The Low and Slow Car Show

Wherein our Correspondent Attends the Corn Feed Run Car Show & Cruise on Saturday, April 26, 2025 in Chino, California.

Text and photos by Wallace Wyss –

Now it might seem inconstant that a guy who can, most of the time, tell a James Young coachbuilt body on a Rolls from a Mulliner, or Mulliner Park Ward, or a Zagato Ferrari from a Pininfarina-bodied one, that he attends a hot rod show. A show chock-a-block with chopped and channeled cars, some of which claim the engineering feat of being able to press a button and have the car’s nose leap into the air like a scared rabbit.

And so it is, that I went to the annual Corn Row car show in Chino, CA, in search of a reason why they do what they do. Who is they? It is largely, from my observation, Latinos that support this custom car niche. Mainly because old American cars you can still get parts for. It is the cars they grew up with. I sympathize with the 100% made in America content, having owned such oddities as an Alfa Sprint Speciale for which finding a windscreen is a major obstacle.

What I was looking for at this show was:

BASIC BODY STYLES THAT STILL APPEAL

I think I found it on a late ‘60s Chevrolet Impala convertible that had no mods except the lowering (using a push button battery-powered lift kit), and aftermarket rims, and a custom dash additions (long toggles to activate the lift kit). Bill Mitchell, GM’s one time head of design and my acquaintance 60 years ago, loved to put taillights in the bumper and on that model they really fit well because it left the rear deck lid all on its own without it or the sheet metal being punctured by taillights. I thought, “If I had it would I paint the rear bumper body color?” but probably not because then the front bumper would look naked and ashamed.

The lady who was with the car said she and her husband found it advertised on line and flew to Chicago to buy it; one of several trips they made around the US in search of that particular model. Several of the cars in ads failed to measure up to the ad description. They brought cash in their searches, which I thought unwise but the last car they looked at was as advertised so they bought it and shipped it back to their Las Vegas home for $2000.

A RE-THINK OF INTERIORS

I think it was a ’36 Ford (with very little of the original left) that had a magnificent color interior contrasted with a world class deep red paint job (with a new interpretation of “flames”) that caught my eye. I liked the competition seat belts with shoulder harnesses. I liked the brightness of the interior. And the hand-made stainless steel windshield frame. Overall I think the craftsmanship was world class, worthy of Pebble Beach.

A RE-INTERPRETATION OF BOLT-ON HARDTOPS

On this ‘30s Ford hot rod, while the rest of the body was as many I have seen before, this car’s bolt-on hardtop was chopped itself, and really looked modern, reminding me of the Chrysler Prowler, (which I have seen running a hardtop but probably not one supplied by Chrysler) which was a modern re-interpretation of the hot rod but unfortunately had a puny engine. This hardtop, from the rear ¾ view, had a really dramatic look worthy of a streamline moderne prewar French car.

ENGINE TREATMENTS

The one that got the Wally Award (I made that one up) is the old ‘60s Chevy economy car the guy made an engine cover for, a nice silver color. That way he didn’t have to detail the engine and it made under-the-hood look clean and neat.

HAND WROUGHT BODYWORK

Alas, the Chino show didn’t have that much bodywork that was pounded out by hand, I think aluminum coachwork is not an American art, but one purposely unpainted pickup truck had rear fenders that seemed the original shape but still bore the dents from being hand hammered out. The grille bars, though, were a by-hand interpretation, as if the owner didn’t want to sully the all-metal-work effect with chrome.

I was surprised there was only one Pontiac Trans Am there, as it was a popular muscle car. It was largely unmodified. And two ’70s Camaros, which weren’t as dramatic when new as the Firebird T/A.

As usual, with hot rods and low riders in California, the crowd was largely Latino and they played Spanish songs, but since the weather was un-Southern-California-ish (intermittent showers) I was disappointed there was no beauty contest, which I long to see in order to attempt to capture the perfect lady for one of my paintings. (Hey Pebble Beach, where’s your beauty contest?)

I think the old car hobby among this group is solidly entrenched. If it is 2025 now and yet here, row upon row, are cars that were over 80 years old, still being driven, still licensable, still a family hobby enjoyed by two to three generations. I hope the eco-fanatics don’t outlaw old cars. After all, many of these cars only appear at car shows a couple times a year. It’s not like they are daily drivers.

In sum, in my two hour sojourn, I was inspired by two or three cars. I have no intention of abandoning my devotion to Italian carrozzeria-built cars of the Sixties, or my recently revived passion for prewar streamline moderne cars from France, (circa 1936-39), but as a fine artist, I still hope to capture on film the ambiance of a low rider on canvas, so those viewing it can see why this niche of car heaven has remained strong for decades.

I think Bill Mitchell, God rest his soul, would have liked them….

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss is a fine artist known for depicting exotic cars from Italy on canvas. For a list of his Ferrari art available on canvas, write mendoart7@gmail.com